Alone No More
by EeveeKitty
Summary: May Maple is popular, wealthy, and she thrives in Middle School. She also plays what she believes to be harmless pranks on other students. When a new kid shows up, he acts very distant and uncool. When she pulled a couple pranks on the teen, he is hurt very badly – physically and mentally. But when her life was on the line, the boy did something unexpected that changed everything.
1. Harmless or Harmful?

"May, we're gonna prank someone today." Gary said, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

May's own eyes lit up. "Who's the victim?!" Gary, Misty, and Dawn laughed at their friend's excitement.

"Relax May. It's the new kid, you know…um, Ass Ketchum, I think?" Dawn commented.

"Oh, him. Okay. What's the prank?" May asked.

"During recess, he always walks under a certain tree. We set it up already, but the plan is that he'll go under and we pull a rope. Then, a lot of snow will fall on top of him!" Misty answered.

May smiled at Misty, then cheered, "Alright! I can't wait 'til recess!"

* * *

Ash sighed sadly. He hated school. As he strolled towards his favorite place, beneath a tree, snow fell on top of him. And he was in short sleeves and shorts, so he was freezing immediately. He got out as quick as he could, but he felt numb and his hands were getting blisters. Behind the tree, Gary, May, Misty, and Dawn laughed hysterically at how his hands looked. Ash heard them and glanced in their direction, before scowling.

He didn't retaliate or do anything, which surprised the four greatly. He only walked away, most likely to Nurse Joy.

* * *

"Ash, I'm sorry to tell you this, but you have frostbite." The pink-haired nurse informed the teen.

Ash nodded patiently. "I understand that Nurse Joy. I know what it looks like." He replied.

"Do you mind telling me who did this, if you know?" Ash nodded again.

"I do know, but you might not believe me if I say who it was."

"Oh, alright then. Would you like me to call your parents and tell them what's happening?" She asked kindly. At the mention of his parents, Ash looked down. He had come to terms with the fact that they weren't living anymore, but that didn't mean it was easy to deal with. He'd lost them when he was three years old.

"I… They aren't… No." He said finally. "They're dead." He whispered, but loud enough for Joy to hear. She gasped.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry. Care to explain? It may help." Ash sighed. She had such a good influence.

"Fine, but this stays between me and you. I was three, and my mom and dad died to save me. I still feel as though it was my fault." He blinked the tears that were threatening to fall away. "A man named Giovanni was furious at my parents, so he wanted to kill them and me. He tried killing me first, to make them suffer, but they jumped in front of me…and the dagger hit them. Before they died," He let out a choked sob, "they told me to run and don't look back. To escape. And…and…that's exactly what I did." Tears were running down Ash's face as he spoke those words.

What the two didn't know was that May, Gary, Misty, and Dawn were listening in. May was recording the whole conversation. As he finished, she pressed the stop button.

"What a liar," May scoffed, "he probably does that to get attention. Well, if he wants attention then he'll have it." Turning to her companions, May gestured to the phone in her hands. "Up for another little harmless prank?" She asked, a devilish smirk making its way onto her lips.

The three shared a look, and in unison, they cheered, "Hell yeah!"

* * *

 **A/N: I came up with this story on the fly as I can't exactly get what I'm hoping for in my Beginning Adventures story. I will be continuing that, but I will need to think about how to keep the plot going more.**

 **For that story, there is a poll up about the pairing. I am not going to be writing any harems or lemons, but vote if you have the time and yours just might win!**

 **If you haven't yet noticed from the summary, this story, Alone No More, will be an AdvancedShipping one. That will come later on, but the wait will be worth it!**


	2. Pain and Suffering

Ash walked into class the next morning, looking depressed as always. He sat through the announcements, sighed when the teacher gave him detention for not having his homework, and rolled his eyes as a video played on the projector. Then, he realized it wasn't just another video that related to whatever the hell the topic was. No, this was a replay of the private, or so he thought, conversation with Nurse Joy. He stared, shocked and heartbroken, as he heard himself summarize the death of his parents. When it ended, he caught a snicker from his right, and listened as May Maple claimed it was all lies to get attention. Gary, Misty, and Dawn stood up next to her and nodded in agreement to her statements. Ash's eyes narrowed. ' _I should've known it was them.'_ He thought to himself.

He noticed, with distracted eyes, how everyone turned on him, looking at him with not sympathy, but pure outrage. He could feel the glares of others as they bore into him, but he didn't care. All he wanted was to die. Not in embarrassment, but despair. Although no one truly believed what was said, he still couldn't move. He felt numb, numb from shock, from pain, and, most of all, heartbreak. His biggest secret, the main reason as to why he was such a loner, the one thing he feared to share, had gotten out. Possibly in the whole school. And he was accused of lying, making it up for attention!

He just wanted to leave, to never be seen again. It was bad enough dealing with the horrible truth that his parents were murdered, but then the one thing that he wanted so much to keep private had gotten out publicly as a joke and everyone who heard believed he was lying! It was too much for him.

One could have felt the tension in the air. There was a never-ending silence, until the bell rang. Ash immediately got up and practically ran out of the classroom, forgetting all about his detention. He dodged the students who all stared at him. He burst through the double-doors and out into the fresh air where he broke down and cried, the pain of being reminded about what had happened to his parents too much to hold in.

* * *

He didn't know how long it had been, nor did he really care. He noticed everyone leaving, so he assumed it was dismissal. His eyes red and puffy, he stood up from his seat on the bench and walked back into the building. Avoiding eye contact, he opened his locker and grabbed his bag before exiting the school. Then he broke off into a sprint towards the place he lived. The only place he could call home. The orphanage.

On his way there, he caught a glimpse of the Creep, as everyone nicknamed him. He was a fairly tall teenager with long and wavy purple hair. He wore an all green shirt, pants, and a lighter-green jacket. He brandished a knife in his hand. Harley was flanked by other, more dirty, teenagers. Those five were dressed how one would expect any other street gang to dress. They all held some form of weapon in their dominant hand as well. Finally, something else caught Ash's eye.

Cornered and unconscious against the wall was none other than May Maple.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I sort of didn't know exactly how to continue on with this.**

 **Please review or PM me if you have any suggestions or comments.**


	3. Emotions

Ash ran to the shadows, the only place he felt he belonged. Hidden to the world and never on anyone's minds.

He stared at the passed out girl nonchalantly, no emotion visible in his eyes. His mind thought of all the things he could do. Leave, or stay? Help, or turn away? Those were the questions running through the teenage boy's head.

He was considering just walking someplace else and not getting involved when he saw Harley and the other five gang members surround May. He briefly saw, out of the corner of his eye, the teenagers yanking her bright-red shirt off of her before he sprung into action. He knew what they were trying to do, and he felt as though even May, the girl who had taunted, teased, and tormented him, didn't deserve that kind of fate.

Leaping from the shadows, he charged at one of the stunned punks – and landed an easy kick in the shin that made him double over in pain. He noticed another coming at him from the side, and so he turned and gave her a roundhouse kick for her troubles.

Ash was still outnumbered, four to one, but he kept fighting. Punching, kicking, dodging, anything on fair grounds that kept him in the lead. After another few minutes, it was down to only him and Harley. The others were either unconscious, or had fled the scene.

"Harley, you should go now before I seriously hurt you." Ash warned.

He snorted and replied, "Really? That's the best threat you can come up with? I've heard greater ones than that."

Ash responded with a punch right in Harley's face that left him groaning in pain on the ground. He then walked over to the limp form of the wealthy girl's body and checked to see if she was hurt. She was stripped down to her underwear, but Ash was really injured from the fight so he didn't take notice. Instead, he scowled at the group of six and started to redress May after making sure she wasn't harmed. Then, he picked her up in his arms and started to walk in the direction he'd seen everyone else walk in to get to their houses.

* * *

After getting lost once since Ash didn't know the town much, he finally stopped at a house that looked like a mansion. Assuming that that was May's house, he knocked on the door and waited. He heard a lot of activity, and finally a shout of "Coming!" when not two minutes later, the door opened to reveal a smiling young woman who looked to be about in her thirties. Her smile quickly changed to a frown when she took in the state of Ash and she gasped in horror as she saw May. Ash, with a bit of sorrow, deduced that the woman was May's mother.

"Hi…" Ash trailed off somewhat awkwardly, not really knowing how to explain things.

"Oh my God! What happened to my daughter? Please, bring her in and tell me everything!" Ash hesitated, but then sighed and followed the woman into the house.

* * *

"…and that's what happened." Ash finished. There was an uncomfortable silence as May's mother, who Ash learned was Caroline, processed what she'd just heard. Ash was shifting in the chair he was in, not all that comfortable in the Maples' home. Finally, the teenager stood up and said, "I guess I'll leave now…" before he walked out of the house. Norman, who was May's dad, gave the boy a strange but calculating look, as if he knew there was something he was hiding.

Quiet ensued, until a few minutes later a boy came running down the wood stairs. "Mom! Dad!" He shouted, "Where's that kid that was just here?"

His mother raised her eyebrow toward her son and asked curiously, "Why are you wondering, Max?"

At the question, the boy smiled slightly. "If he wants to try something with May, I'll have to see if he's good enough." At that, Caroline and Norman chuckled.

* * *

Ash sighed. Why did he have to go and do something like that again? Put himself in danger? ' _It's because I don't want anyone to get hurt. Not even those who aren't my friends.'_ He thought. He let his mind wander to other things, and before he knew it, he was back at the only place he could call home.

* * *

Max sat at his older sister's side, watching her intently. Although they got in a lot of sibling quarrels, they still cared about each other. He willed her to wake up, before jumping a little when he heard a soft groan come from the very person on his mind. After getting over his surprise though, he launched himself at her just as she was gaining consciousness. "May!" He exclaimed happily, "You're awake!"

May stared at her little brother dazedly, before blinking a few times. She then let out a small shriek when she realized what was happening. "Max! Quit hugging me!"

Just then, Norman and Caroline came into the room to see what all the commotion was about. Their faces lit up when they saw May was alright. After some small talk, her mother brought up something she was wondering.

"May, I met someone you know today. I was curious about him." May seemed interested in where her mom was going with the conversation, so she gestured for her to continue. "His name is Ash…"

May scowled. "Oh, him? How would you know that lying, attention-seeking–"

"Maybelle Haruka Maple! Don't you dare complete that sentence!" Caroline suddenly shouted, startling the girl and keeping her from finishing her thoughts.

"Why would you care about him though?" She asked rudely. "He's…" At a glare from her mother, she trailed off without completing her train of thought.

"May, this Ash boy…he's the one who saved you. You owe him your life." Her mom teared up as she said that.

"What?!" May screamed. "Ash saved my life?! _Ash?!_ God, I am so not cool for letting _him_ do that!" Caroline frowned.

"Why do you hate Ash so much?"

May stared at her mom as if she was crazy. "You didn't notice how depressed he was probably acting? That's all it is, an act! Yesterday, he lied at school saying his parents were dead, and that he was essentially an orphan! Can you believe him?! I bet he wanted the biggest pity party in the world!" She ranted.

Norman and Max had been watching and listening to the conversation, but Norman decided to interfere. "What if he wasn't lying though? Have you ever actually gotten to know him?" May instantly shook her head.

"Why would I want to know someone like Ash? He keeps to himself anyway, no one actually likes him."

Caroline beamed. "You really should try and be friends with him! At the very least, you better apologize to him." Her face grew serious. "He told us that you, Gary, Misty, and Dawn have given him frostbite, did you know that?"

May's eyes grew wide. "We did? It was supposed to be a harmless prank!" She tried to defend herself, but deep down, she felt guilty. She was confused, she had no idea why she was so mad at herself and wanted to apologize, but she found herself doing it.

' _What's happening to me?'_

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the slow updates. I don't really have any real schedule, I just update whenever I have the time. This was more about May and how she deals with the situation.**

 **Thanks to everyone who left reviews!**

 **Also, I just have to say for hshh's questions one was answered in this chapter, and the others you will get the answers to in the future. Possibly the next chapter, or if I can find just a really good place to explain it all.**

 **Well, I think that's all. Thanks again for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting my story!**


	4. Aftermath

Ever since he had gotten to his small room, Ash had a question that kept nagging at his brain. ' _Was that the only reason I saved May? That didn't want to run from others who were suffering?'_ Ash knew that that was the original reason, but now he wasn't sure whether or not it was _the_ reason, or _a_ reason. Ash had no idea why, but he honestly didn't want to hold a grudge against May for long. It wasn't really any important feeling, only something faint – it wasn't as much attraction so much as a slight forgiveness. It confused Ash, not because he wanted to forgive – he was the type of person to forgive pretty easily – but more because he felt he _had_ to.

However, he just shrugged it off in the end, after he got a headache thinking about it. No matter what though, he would not forgive May Maple or her friends for the emotional pain that they'd put him through. At least, not as easily as he would any other thing.

He then realized, after some thinking, that he had some questions for her, questions that involved a certain purple-haired creep who goes by the name of Harley.

* * *

May sighed, still thinking over what had happened. Or at least, all that she could remember. ' _All I did was snatch the last piece of chocolate from him. It wasn't even a big deal! How was I supposed to have known that Harley was drunk and was also the unofficial leader of a street gang? It wasn't my fault. Then, I passed out in an alley that I was cornered in from running too much. I remember that. And apparently, that liar came and saved me, acted like a hero…I really doubt that, Drew probably came and helped and then that Ketchum guy took the credit like the asshole he really is.'_

May was shaken out of her thoughts from the worried and slightly scared tone her brother was using to call her name. She glanced at him in confusion, before her hand started to hurt. She looked down at her curled fingers and realized what happened. While she was caught up in her own thoughts about that faker, she had balled up her fist in a sudden burst of anger.

May gave him a sheepish smile. "Sorry Max. I was just thinking about Alf or whatever his name is and got mad." Max seemed puzzled.

"Huh? You mean Ash, right? Why'd you get mad thinking about him? He saved your life, didn't he?"

"No he didn't! I don't believe it!" Max was startled by his sister's outburst and took a subconscious step back. Then he sighed.

"Well, okay then…" He replied nervously. "Anyway, the reason I came up to you is because I had to tell you that lunch is ready."

May flashed a genuine smile at him. "Thanks Max. And sorry I acted the way I did." Max nodded silently and left to the table to eat.

* * *

Ash groaned as the younger children ran up to him, asking for various things. His half hour break had been over for a while now, and he was in charge of the whole orphanage, being the oldest one. He sighed. ' _How do I even survive this?'_ He questioned himself. It was true though; Ash had been the one to teach himself how to fight to better protect himself and, more importantly, other innocent people. He never spoke much unless he had to, preferring to instead let his mind wander and think. He also singlehandedly cared for at least 20 others, with no help whatsoever.

' _I'm glad that I at least ended up in a place where I can help others and they can try to enjoy themselves.'_ Ash thought with the slightest hint of a smile gracing his face.

* * *

 **A/N:** **I'm so glad people are enjoying my story! Thanks for reading everyone.**

 **Please, leave a review. At least tell me what I can improve on or whether you liked this chapter. That would be a lot of help for me, thus to the story in itself.**


	5. The Question

"May… May. May!" The brunette jumped in her seat frantically, before she sent a glare directed towards her brother.

"What?" She said in an annoyed tone.

"Sorry. You zoned out. Thinking again?" Max asked, concern evident on his face.

May nodded forcefully, seemingly frustrated. "I can't stop thinking about him!" She exclaimed.

Max got a suddenly cheeky expression, one that made May gulp. "Oh, really? No one wants you having kids at your age, sis."

May's face got as red as a tomato, partially from embarrassment, but mostly in anger at the younger boy. "Shut up, Max!" She raged, only serving to make him laugh. "Also, for your information, the reason being is not because I like him, in fact, it's the opposite! But he's on my mind because I can't stop thinking about how much of a liar he really is!" She stated firmly, using assurance that hadn't convinced her brother, nor herself. What her dad had said still rang true in her ears. ' _What if…he hadn't been lying about his parents? Then what? You know what, why do I even care?!'_ May asked herself.

Before she could get too caught up in her inner turmoil, her brother informed her that she had to get going or she'd miss the bus. That, of course, snapped her out of her thoughts and she started to panic.

"Oh my God, Mac! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" She exclaimed as she rushed to get her belongings.

"Because you were– hey, wait! Did you just call me 'Mac'?!"

"Sorry, no time, gotta go!"

As May rushed out the door, Max huffed in annoyance. "She _did_ call me 'Mac', I know it…" He muttered under his breath.

* * *

May waved her friends over to the seats. "Misty, Dawn, Gary! Over here!" As the three strode over to the teenager, she smiled brightly at them and started to giggle. "Hey, guess what, Misty?"

"Hm?" She asked.

"When I was running out the door, I called my brother Mac! On purpose too, because I wanted to know what his reaction would be. He screamed, and it was _so_ funny!"

At this, Dawn burst out laughing. She was in tears before she finally got calm again. Everyone was looking at her strangely, even more so when she asked why they were staring at her.

* * *

As the bus pulled into the school, May instinctively edged away from Ash as he approached. He noticed, but didn't seem to care, as he kept coming closer to the girl. May adopted an irritated look and attempted to shove him back, but he sidestepped with surprising agility and grace. As he advanced even more, her friends started to surround her and May was backing away. Finally, Ash sighed.

"I'll just give up trying to ask you something if that's how you're going to act." He said in a level tone.

"Oh, really? That's all it is, huh? A question? You really are a liar! If that's what you want, then ask away!" May exclaimed with newfound confidence. By now, a crowd had formed.

Ash stood his ground and replied, "I was trying to be nice and give you some privacy, but alright. How come Harley tried to rape you?"

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for this being shorter than usual, but I felt this was the best place to stop. You gotta go with the flow sometimes.**

 **At least it's not the shortest chapter, but it's close.**

 **Oh, and Mac. Yeah. That was a typo that I made on accident, and I immediately noticed it, but I'm too lazy to press the backspace twice. So, I incorporated it into the story as something that's at least remotely funny. Hopefully, anyway.**

 **Thanks for reading and please review!**


	6. Reactions

Silence. You could hear a pin drop in the few seconds that the entire crowd was stunned still. After another short moment, the surrounding area became one of quiet murmurs. Finally, one loud-mouthed blue-haired girl ended the rumors that were quickly spreading around.

"You were almost _raped?!_ " She yelled incredulously. Something about that scream made everyone snap. The almost whispers and mutters became full-blown noise, however one brunette that the chaos was directed toward was in shock.

She didn't respond to the question, no matter how loud it was voiced. No, May Maple stood stock still, eyes closed and blocking out the sound, _begging_ the present events to be just a nightmare. When she opened her eyes, though, her heart sank. And the worst thing, she reminded herself, was that no one was the cause for it except her. She was given a chance at privacy, but no, she just had to go and be the smartass and that cost May her pride – something that frustrated the teen to no end.

When she broke out of her stunned state and locked eyes with Ash, she thought about answering, and then remembered the crowd that surrounded her. She couldn't just stand there and reply truthfully without getting some blow to her social status. It just wouldn't happen.

Therefore, as Ash stood in front of May, waiting for her to give an answer, she made a decision and responded, "Why the hell do you always lie about everything?! Huh? It's not funny, you know that?!"

Ash flinched as the girl got up in his face. He then sighed. "Fine, get away from me if you want." His tone didn't give anything away, it was almost emotionless as he spoke. The crowd dispersed some and May felt a sudden pang of guilt. She had no idea where it came from, nor did she really care. She wanted to know _why_ it was there, and kept trying to convince herself that she didn't do anything wrong. But then, she heard her dad's words.

" _What if he wasn't lying though?"_ The thought of accusing Ash, and then somehow finding out his parents really _were_ dead made May feel guilty all over again. Then, she tried to remember the rest of what Norman had said.

" _Have you ever actually gotten to know him?"_

" _You really should try and be friends with him!"_ That was her mom. May sighed as her friends walked up to her. Drew wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close when May shoved him away, in tears.

"May!" Misty cried, clearly worried. "Are you alright?"

"No." May's reply caused confusion amongst the group.

"What do you mean, 'No', May? I mean…" Dawn trailed off, not sure herself what she was trying to explain.

"I'm not alright! That's what I mean!" May managed to get out before starting to cry. For what, even she had no idea. "Just…go away, okay? Please?"

The four exchanged glances with each other before an unspoken agreement passed between them. Relenting, they left for their first class, leaving a sobbing May alone.

' _I need to apologize somehow.'_

* * *

Ash sighed in annoyance as Gary and Drew strode up to him angrily.

"What the hell did you do to May?!" Drew demanded furiously.

"Nothing." Ash replied calmly.

"You shit! That's all lies, just like your made up story about your parents! They aren't dead, are they? Huh? Are they, you liar?!" Gary raged. He threw a punch at Ash's face, to which the boy just took a step back and the fist met air. No one noticed it, but Ash had lost his expressionless demeanor, his aura now a mix of sadness and disbelief. He turned on his heel and walked away, although he accidentally was seen by none other than May Maple.

She glanced at him, before noticing how he looked. She idly wondered what had happened, but then realized that only one thing could affect the usually dispassionate teenager.

As she walked up to him, he noticed her and sulked. "What?" He said in a tone full of irritation and sorrow. "Are you going to agree with them and call me a liar as well like you have been doing for the past few days?" With that, he started to sprint away from the girl before she could even utter a sound to disagree.

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter was longer than the previous, thanks be to God! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the content andw please Follow/Favorite and review if you want to see something specific happen!**

 **Big thanks to everyone who has reviewed since the first chapter! Shoutouts to Blackcharzard62 and Shrouded Absol for reviewing the last chapter, and as always, thanks for reading!**


	7. The Change in May

May Maple stared at the place where Ash sprinted off until the meaning behind his words sunk in. All the taunts, the insults, everything had gotten to him. There was nothing she could do to fix it. But what did he mean when he said 'them'…?

The one thought that processed in her mind made her turn around. Call it a sixth sense, a hunch, a feeling, whatever, but somehow she just _knew_ that she'd get an answer. And she did.

Lo and behold, from around the corner Gary and Drew appeared, seemingly chasing after somebody, who May could only assume to be Ash.

As they came to stand in front of the girl with smug looks on their faces, she shot the two of them an angry glare unlike any that had come from her before. The difference being that it was fueled by pure outrage.

"Something wrong, dear?" Drew asked while flashing a smile, showing his pearly-white teeth.

May kept her expression up, not faltering in the least. "Yes, there is Drew, Gary." She growled with her teeth clenched. Turning so her back faced them, she said sharply, "Don't follow me, understand?" The two boys frantically nodded their agreement after realizing that they did something bad in the eyes of the teenager, and they weren't willing to face her wrath.

With that, she strolled away in the direction that Ash had walked in, towards the library.

* * *

May found Ash at a table reading a book. Getting closer to him, she heard him talking to himself. "I can't believe this actually got published…"

"Huh? What did?" She asked in mild confusion. She had noticed that book sometime before when she was snooping through her brother's room once, but had thought nothing of it at the time. Now though, she could see the title of the book, called Dreams and Reality. She stared at it before glancing back at Ash as he turned his head to look into the girl's sapphire-blue eyes.

"This book…I wrote it. I get so bored sometimes when I'm in my room since there's nothing to do. This was one of the ways I got rid of my boredom. What are you here for, anyway?"

May was surprised at the abrupt change of topic, and took a minute to process the question. What was she here for? To apologize.

"I wanted to tell you that I'm really sorry for the ways I acted before. I guess I just want to get you know you before I can really judge…"

Ash sighed. "If it were anything else, then I'd accept, but…when you talk about that, no one can just come back and expect to be forgiven that easily… When that happened, I learned to accept the truth, but it's still hard sometimes. And then people who not only make fun of that but also come and claim that I made up a grand lie for attention just make my life even harder. Here's a question. Don't answer right away, take some time to think about this. Considering what I said, do you really think that I would be able to lie about that? Without feeling any sort of guilt? Do you?"

May was silent. Now that the situation had been put into perspective, she was finding herself to be incredibly stupid. What was she thinking?

No, now that she thought about it, she couldn't imagine anyone just going about saying that. The thought made her sick.

"I guess you're right…" She admitted quietly. "I don't know what I was thinking that day…" She buried her face in her hands, not able to look at the one person she was apologizing to. May felt so much guilt well up inside of her at that moment. She knew the reason as to why that was, as well.

She had to let it all out. Somehow. So she cried, tears flowing down her cheeks like a river out of her puffy and red eyes.

When she stopped minutes later, having no more tears left to shed, she caught a slight smile of appreciation on Ash's face.

"Thanks May. At least I know you're truly sorry for what you did, unlike the others." He seemed conflicted for a moment, but then decided on something. "This may sound stupid, but after the last period is over, would you like to come back with me and help out some? You'd probably enjoy yourself, given that there's a few kids who would most likely want to play a game with you…"

As May looked at Ash, a faint blush rose on her cheeks until she thought of something. If what he said was true, and his parents really were dead – which May was now more sure than ever that he was speaking the truth – then wouldn't that mean that he was living in…

Realization shone on her face, and May thought about her options. Go to an orphanage with Ash, or go home and stay with her parents and brother in a mansion.

It was obvious which one she chose.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, another update! Thanks for reading and please review and tell me what you liked in the chapter and/or what I can do to make it better.**

 **It helps a lot when others criticize my work and give advice since it helps me better improve as a writer.**


	8. The Decision

"Yes!" May Maple shouted enthusiastically.

"Huh?!" That answer completely startled Ash, and it showed on his face. May giggled at how he looked.

"Yeah, I'd love to come with you! I really wanted to get out of my house for a while anyway but mom and dad are too protective of me after the…event happened. It's only a bonus that Max isn't gonna be there to annoy me!"

"May… Do you really want to come? Or are you just saying these things to make me feel better?"

May seemed shocked that he would even suggest such a thing. "No, I'm telling the truth. I really and truly want to come and hang out for a while. Well, I'm at least going to try and get to know you."

May giggled at the stunned look Ash held for the moment.

"Alright then…" He sighed.

As they were about to speak again, they found themselves being interrupted by a loud voice. "What the hell, May?!"

They turned to look at the speaker, only for Ash's chocolate orbs to narrow in suspicion and May's sapphire ones to gain a visible fire in them.

"What the hell, what?" she asked in a dangerously calm manner. The brunet gulped in poorly-hidden fear and suddenly found his boots to be very interesting.

"I'm waiting!" May said, more impatiently this time, and something about Gary snapped out of sheer anxiety. He looked up and began to stutter and talk so fast, it was incomprehensive. Ash had to hide his laughter by emitting fake coughs, however his eyes still shined with mirth.

"How about this, instead. What the hell were _you_ doing spying on me and him when I told you specifically _not_ to?" Her eyes flashed, and Gary found that it had become very hard to swallow.

"It was Drew's idea!" he yelled, before he could stop himself. Once he'd realized what he had said, he faced May again. "I-I mean…it was all me! I'm so sorry; don't hurt me!"

May stared at him with a deadpan expression, obviously not convinced in the least. "Oh, _sure_ it was your idea," she began, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Gary, you aren't even smart enough to get a girlfriend. Do you really expect me to believe that you actually thought of this yourself?"

Ash couldn't hold back a snigger, no matter how much he tried.

May directed a small smile at him, before glaring at Gary once again. "Where's Drew?" she demanded, in a barely audible voice. He looked at her, completely frightened. The only time the young brunette ever used that tone was if she was vexed, irritated, peeved, cross, irked, and infuriated all at the same time. Needless to say, she was thinking some pretty dark thoughts at that moment.

"H-he's at…Drew…he's at th-the–"

May's eye twitched. "Just get on with it already!" she screamed, exasperated. "It's not like I'm going to hurt _you_ , am I?"

Gary shook his head. "Drew's at…he's in science right now, but he was planning on getting a pass and coming here to the library."

"Thank you." With that, she turned and walked out. Ash glanced at Gary, and began to laugh.

The brunet glowered at him. "Shut up!" He spun around and sprinted out of the library, using the exit that May hadn't gone through.

Ash stared for a while, looking at where Gary had left and then to where May left, before shrugging and continuing to browse through the books.

* * *

A/N: Finally! Another chapter!

I'm so sorry for not updating; I'd forgotten how many people enjoy this story and how great it is to be writing it! I had absolutely no clue how to continue this for the longest time, and to be honest I still don't. I feel as though it could be better, but I have no idea how to make it better because I didn't have any expectations.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is sorry if this chapter seems terrible.

Anyway. Should I add in the little encounter with Drew, or should I just go straight to the Ash and May stuff? No, that is not supposed to say fluff and it doesn't imply anything. I'm going to save the shippings for _way_ later.

Shoutouts to Flamegod99, Guest, Blackcharzard62, hshh, Are all the names used, stevexclax, Deuce133, and Bluepaw265 for reviewing last chapter. Thank you, everyone!

Anyway, thanks for reading and tell me what you think about this story in a review.


	9. Chapter 9

May raced through the hallway, stopping every so often when she thought she saw chartreuse. _Drew is not getting away from me this easily!_ she thought to herself, looking around.

She huffed, crossing her arms as she found no trace of the green-haired boy that she believed she loved. Honestly, she wasn't sure anymore about what she felt of anything. Sighing, she pushed that thought to the back of her mind and continued searching for Drew.

 _I'm getting really paranoid, aren't I?_ May idly thought after another failed attempt at finding 'Grass-Head', as she'd once heard Ash call him. _I keep seeing and hearing stuff, and think it's him. Oh well, he deserves what's coming to him._

* * *

Drew hid out in the Science Room, unnoticed by his teacher. Gary had literally ran into him earlier, and he did not have words to describe how grateful he was that he'd escaped his girlfriend's wrath. _Now, all I have to do is wait around 'til she calms down. Heh, this is amazing._

* * *

May burst through the door, drawing attention from Cynthia. The blonde looked at the brunette with a raised eyebrow, questioning her. "Sorry, but may I ask you something?" May said, fidgeting slightly.

"Ask away," the other replied, her visible eye reflecting the confusion she felt.

"Um, have you seen Drew anywhere? I was wondering where he was." Inwardly, May was seething. On the outside, however, she maintained a calm appearance, albeit just barely managing it.

"Drew…Andrew Hayden?" Cynthia responded with an inquiry of her own.

May nodded. "Yep, him."

The blonde frowned. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I haven't seen him. Would I be intruding if I asked why you were looking for him?"

At this, May's face grew red in anger. "He did something _really_ _stupid_ , and _now_ he's hiding from me," she growled.

"I'm terribly sorry to hear that, May, and I apologize that I wasn't of any help to you."

May nodded silently, and left.

* * *

 _I think she's calm enough, now. Time to make my move to comfort her._

He stood soundlessly, and snuck out of the room when his teacher was on the phone.

* * *

"Drew." The brunette's voice came out a snarl.

The teenager froze in his walk. _Oh, damn. I thought that she'd gotten over it! Run!_ He sprinted down the hallway once more, but was caught when the collar of his shirt was grabbed from behind.

"Don't you _dare_ think you're going to get away unscathed!" May raged, her eyes blazing.

Drew choked, and it was only then she loosened her grip. "May," he pleaded. "You don't want to do this. You just need time to cool off."

"And _you_ need a better excuse," she countered.

That ticked him off. "I seriously can't believe you're actually going against _me_ , for _him_!" he said, _very_ sagaciously, and in a _completely_ calm manner.

Needless to say, he got a good beating from that—*cough, cough* _witty_ —comment.

* * *

He frowned, waiting at his locker. _I doubt she's coming. She probably backed out and really did say that without any meaning behind the words._

"Ash—hey!" A smiling brunette appeared in front of him, her hand subconsciously moving through parts of her hair.

"May…?" He gaped at her, not truly believing that she actually came.

"Why do you look so surprised? I said I'd come, didn't I?" She giggled, but then her eyes widened. "Damn. I need to call my parents and tell them I'm going to be late back to the house today."

He raised an eyebrow. "I can go outside for a few minutes, so you can talk."

She stared. "What?"

Ash rolled his eyes. "I said that I can go–"

"I know what you said," she interrupted. "But…well, why? I mean, you've met them before so it's no biggie, is it?"

He sighed. "Actually… Never mind. I guess not." He shrugged.

Still, May eyed him suspiciously. "Okay then," she said, a bit dubious. She took her phone out, and dialed up a number before turning the speaker on. She stepped outside, and Ash followed her.

"Hello?" Norman's voice reached their ears as they walked. "May, is that you?"

"Who else would it be, Dad?" she asked, with a small laugh. "Yep, it's me!"

Ash's heart panged at the interaction. Even over the phone, they were acting how a normal parent/child relationship would.

"Hm? Why?" The man's voice pierced through his thoughts, and he turned to look at the phone again.

"Well, you know how you and Mom told me to get to know Ash? I'm going with him, so I probably won't be back 'til around…five-ish," she hedged, a note of uncertainty in her voice.

"Alright, I guess that's fine. Just be safe—I don't want anything happening to you again," he replied sternly, though Ash caught an undertone of worry.

"I'll be okay, Dad," May insisted. "I love you. Bye." When she hung up, she shook her head with an exasperated sigh. "Fathers," she muttered. Ash flinched, and didn't know _quite_ what to say to that. The brunette suddenly realized what she'd just said, and quickly covered her mouth with an embarrassed blush. "I-I'm sorry, Ash! I didn't mean it like that–!"

"Don't worry about it. It's fine," Ash tried to assure her. He noted that he didn't sound to sure himself, and he figured May knew that as well judging by the unconvinced deadpan stare that she pointedly gave him. He sighed, and managed to give her a smile—albeit a weak one.

She sighed as well. "Okay. Just—sorry."

There was a—slightly awkward—moment of silence after that.

"So," Ash began, "uh, do you want to see my room, or what?"

"Sure," May replied, with a shrug. "I'm kind of curious what…orphanages…are…like." She groaned, registering what she was saying as she spoke. "Me and my big mouth…I'm so sorry, Ash! I don't know why I keep being so blunt; I just, I don't even know anymore."

He chuckled a bit. "It's fine, May. Don't worry. We're almost there, it's just up ahead."

She looked, and, sure enough, she saw a building that seemed to made made out of stone. "Depressing much?"

He slumped. "It's really nothing like a cozy and warm place, but for me—and a lot of other people—it's home."

She nodded silently, and he led her to the site. "C'mon," May said, "we don't have all day!"

He cracked a small smile, increasing his pace slightly.

* * *

A/N: Thank you to everyone who enjoys this story! I apologize for getting this chapter out so late, and hopefully there will be a chapter ten of this out soon.

Blackcharizard62: It's completely fine! I'm so glad you like this story.

EmberSkies: . . . Dude, really? You're such a hypocrite. Haters Gonna Hate, apparently.

Nah, I'm kidding. Still, could you at least try to find something nicer to say to me about this chapter, if you ever dare click on this story again?

Alina 122: Thanks! I'm so happy of all the nice things people say about my stories! I feel so appreciated! Oh, and I won't abandon this story anytime soon, if ever. If I do, it won't be for a long while.

BlackLucario19: Yep. The chapter is out now. Have fun!


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